Leadership: What’s nice got to do with it?
An interesting article in the Washington Post poses the question: “You thought our presidential candidates were nice guys, regular guys, guys with whom […]
Dancer
Lovin’ our corner of the world
Wanting something that’s great to be even better is no bad thing – but the Mercer 2008 Quality of Living survey our today […]
Body image gone bad
We’re used to the importance of presentation in the world of politics, but no-one does it quite so blatently as the fashion world. We’ve […]
Advice for future aides
Those interested in the political situation in the States will be wanting to read the new book written by Scott McClellan (former White House press […]
The status of KiwiSaver
Tracy Watkins reports: “National has been forced into an embarrassing u-turn on KiwiSaver after its industrial relations spokeswoman Kate Wilkinson appeared to put the […]
Predictions on Parliament
We’ve seen many of the commentators suggest that National is coming up short on policy proposals after the Budget last week. What I’ll […]
Hidden costs of private hospitals
If you’re paying for your health care you’d expect good service wouldn’t you? The release of four health commissioner decisions over the weekend and […]
Feeling mean? Which Disney villain are you?
Get “scientific” with this poll and determine “which Disney villain are you”?
National – more women-friendly?
Colin Espiner pointed it out the other week, National “needs more women. Never over-represented in National at the best of times, the party […]
California lifts gay marriage ban
California’s top court has ruled that a state law banning marriage between same-sex couples is unconstitutional, accrording to a BBC report. The state’s […]
Two stories on crime in Christchurch
Christchurch hosted a public meeting on crime within the city last week. But the thing that caught my eye, despite the very laudable […]
Workers be careful, says Aussie Unionist
Sharan Burrow (President of Australian Council of Trade Unions) talked to Morning Report about the union experiences in Australia under a conservative government, […]
Petrol prices score political points
It seems that NZers are not the only ones interested in petrol prices. From The Guardian: Barack Obama, facing increasingly close primary contests […]
Would Key scrap GST on food?
With hints that regional fuel tax could be put on the “go slow” list, along with parts of the emissions trading scheme, it […]
A broadband world
So John Key has announced that a National-led government would spend “up to” $1.5 billion on fibre optic cable to the home. Well that’s […]
A ring of truth in the Hollow Men
Congratulations to Dr Brash for fronting up and going to see the play The Hollow Men at the Maidment Theatre in Auckland (that’s […]
Fewer on sole parenting benefit
You may have seen the announcement that there are fewer than 20,000 now getting the unemployment benefit, down from 160,000 odd when Labour […]
From slippery to send up
Mike Moreu provides insight into the art of turning news events into images – using as one example his latest piece on asset […]
To sell or not to sell
At the Labour Party congress today, Helen Clark predicted that asset sales would be a key election issue and says the Government was […]
Tough on crime, tough on the parents
Crime, whether static or out of control, is going to be part of our election year “top ten”. I suspect National’s $50 fine […]
Bush’s war – online documentary on Iraq
This recent article in the NYTimes illustrates how the way we inform ourselves is changing, and that it’s increasing access to some serious topics. ‘Bush’s […]
Sir Ed and Helen Clark – admired Kiwis
From the Sunday Star Times: A new poll suggests that National Leader John Key may be up against a bigger obstacle than he thought in […]
Me-too but Cool
Do you have a fascination with ads? Ever wonder where they come up with their ideas or feel like you’ve seen an ad […]
In praise of ACC
It was nice to see this independent report into the ACC scheme by Price Waterhouse Coopers. Amongst the general positive comments was this […]
Why Bush doesn’t like going out in public
Do you think our politicians are unpopular? This story from the Washington Post puts any of those thoughts in perspective: There’s a reason […]
Change blindness
Transport for London have recently launched a campaign to raise drivers’ awareness of cyclists. Try the test below. You can read about what’s […]
Pressure building for Nats on R&D
Lest you think we are totally urban focused one of our readers sent us this recent editorial in the Rural News. In it […]
Obama faces challenging times
Some commentators have been drawing parallels between John Key and Barack Obama’s style of appeal. That was all very well when it appeared […]
Is it a recession Mr Key?
I am intrigued by the recent coverage of the state of the economy. We have reports that things will get bumpy from some […]
Join the great Sydney exodus
Has the prospect of a Kiwi winter made you think longingly of a move across the ditch? Well if Sydney was your destination […]
Communists on the move in Germany
Here’s a lead line from a Washington Post article that will strike fear and horror into the heart of any self-respecting rightwinger: “Nineteen […]
Fairtrade: More than just branding
Do you buy Fairtrade products? Or do you think of it as just another marketing ploy? This recent article “Teach us how to […]
Dream of sliding to work?
Google have just opened a new European engineering headquarters in Switzerland, according to a report from the BBC: “Dotcom companies were defined by […]
Tax cuts = no rise in the minimum wage?
From the ABC site: “A peak business group says the Federal Government’s promised tax cuts should be taken into account when deciding on […]
National confirms Landcorp would be sold (?)
We have an interesting mixed message (once again) from National on asset sales. David Carter is quoted in the NZ Farmers Weekly as […]
Most Aussies support Kyoto protocol
The ABC reports: “Today Australia becomes an official member of the Kyoto club after the initial ratification documents were lodged with the United […]